a photo finish

Here we go... finishing up the race, feeling like I gave it my all (and knowing it). I am happy with my results. I can definitively say this now. I am now deciding where to go from here. Options on the table? I am thinking Marine Corp Marathon, perhaps Flying Pig Marathon... I have a little time to figure it out. For now, I will recover from this marathon. So far so good. I am following Hal Higdon's post marathon recovery schedule. It was great last year, so why mess with a good thing?

Wednesday my legs were feeling good as new - no more aches or pains, so an easy 2 miles after work. It felt great to just run for fun - no timing, no specific pace other than slow and easy... This morning I went out for an easy 6. The weather wasn't too bad, blue sky and sunny, low 40's and windy (temp and wind sound a little familiar?). It was great. I did time myself to see if I ran it slow and easy... nope. I felt comfortable though. I ran it in an 8:48/mile pace.

In my immediate future I am planning to run the local Drumstick Dash - a 4.5 mile run on Thanksgiving morning. Also, I am planning to run a 5k event sometime soon - probably the Jingle Bell Run. My PR for a 5k needs an update and I am pretty sure I can crush my current time.

I feel the need, the need for speed...

chicago marathon photo essay

Just a few photos. We'll start at the expo, where the excitement increased exponentially... I arrived with just under 17 hours to go... I have that deer-in-the-headlights-look... oh yeah, I'm nervous and excited all at the same time.

Then we arrive to race morning. Here is the group... with spouses/loved-ones and without...

From here we will go right to race photos... in some I look pretty good, others, well, I am struggling a little...

That is all for now... blogger is refusing to let me upload anymore... up next: the amazing finish photo...

race weekend: the fast and the furious

It was a 4 day weekend for Steph and me, but it sure went by fast. Unfortunately this entry is a bit on the long side... Here is a recap of our weekend:

We took the day off on Friday and used it as an opportunity to sleep in. It was nice. Took our time packing our stuff – triple checking all of my running gear. We were able to leave early afternoon and drove up to Chesterton, Indiana where we stayed at a B&B for the night. We ate at a great little Thai Restaurant that night and drove over to Michigan City to the outlet mall for some shopping. Afterwards we retired back to the B&B for a soak in the hot tub. We went to bed somewhat early and even slept in again. I was trying to get as much sleep as possible.

Saturday morning we had breakfast, and checked out around 10am. We headed into downtown Chesterton for a European Market. It had great foods and wears. After this we headed to the train station to catch the 11:41 South Shore Line train into Chicago. We had done this a few times before and knew it was an easy way to get to Chicago. It was about 20 minutes late, but no big deal.

About an hour and twenty minutes later we were in Chicago, Millennium Station at Randolph and Michigan Avenue. We grabbed a cab to the Sheraton Hotel and immediately checked in. It was about 1:45, so we grabbed a quick bite and then took the free shuttle bus from the hotel to the expo.

What an experience. The masses of people everywhere – all gearing up for the marathon the next day… I was getting very excited/anxious. We met up with my friend Jason and his friend Courtney and his girlfriend Holly. We walked through the expo, got our shirts, a few other things, but not really stopping that much – we wanted to leave without walking around too much. One thing I noticed (and I wish I had taken a picture) was the VW area with a big sign that read, "The Rabbit is Back". It made me think our our own Running Rabbit.

Before we knew it, it was 4pm. Our reservations at Harry Caray’s were at 5pm, so we went to catch our shuttle bus. The line was 100’s of people deep. There was no way we would get on a bus soon enough to get to dinner on time, so we grabbed a taxi (which was an amazingly choreographed system). We made it back to our hotel to drop our stuff off and then grabbed another cab to the restaurant. Everyone was there when we got there, so we sat down right away.

Dinner was great. It was great food and the service was fast. The water glasses were kept full, even for all of us marathon runners trying to hydrate one last time. With dinner over by 6:45, we went our separate ways to go back to our hotels and try to get some sleep. I was nowhere ready to sleep, so I read through the race information – not a good way to calm one’s nerves. Finally at 9:30 I decided I had to try to sleep.

I was awake at 2:30 am. I tried to go back to sleep and woke up again at 3:30 am, then again at 4:30 am. That was it, my mind hadn't stopped since 2:30, so I was getting up and getting ready. It was Race Morning. My anxiety had reach critical level, I was irritable and I didn't know why. I was as rested as I could be, as well trained as I could be and prepared for the weather as I could be. Why worry? Well, I always do. No matter what size of race, I worry. So there I was trying to down a power bar and gatorade - each bite tougher than the next. We left the hotel at 6:45 to meet up with Jason, Courtney, Andy and Brooke. After a little talk about the weather and a few obligatory pre-marathon photos we headed over to the Start Line.

Jason, Courtney and Andy separate from Brooke and me as they were running a different pace. Brooke and I locate the pace groups and find the 4:00 pacers. We were right next to them. We stood there waiting for the start, staying warm because there were just so many people around us. Finally, the horn sounds and it was time to run! Er, well, time to walk to the start line. For eleven minutes. Tripping over discarded clothes and water bottles. But once we got to the line we were off! Funny thing was, by the time we got to the start line we had already lost the pace group! People had jostled for position during the eleven minute walk. Oh well, if we could keep them in site, we would be fine.

For the first few miles, no problems. We were doing okay. Actually we were about 20 seconds slower on pace, but figured we could slowly speed up and finish strong - we weren't worried. I think we settled into our pace and were cruising along. Right around Mile 7 was my first twinge of pain in my right achilles. I thought, "This is a new pain. Never had this problem before." The pain was mild and went away so I pushed on. I am not sure if the weather was a factor yet, but it seemed to take forever to get to the half way point, but we got there and were on pace for a 4:05 marathon. I was fine with that, but I thought if it got down to the last 5k and I felt good, I would pick up the pace. I was feeling confident.

It was around Mile 16 that I started to feel my left ankle start to chime in. Apparently it didn't want my right achilles getting all the attention. Again, this was a new pain and it was slight, so I pushed on, though this time not as hard. Brooke was getting uncharacteristicly quite. I usually depend on her for great conversation on our runs, and marathons are no exception. I asked her a couple of miles later how she was doing and she said, "not so good". I told her about my aches and my newest addition - my knees. We both refused to quit, though I have to be honest, I wanted to, or at least part of me did. I was miserable. I could see our goal time slipping away ever so slowly. We were now on track for a 4:15 marathon, which is still great, so I was okay with that.

The knees were speaking up more and more with each mile. It was getting tough - mentally and physically. I pretty much shut out the crowd and started to focus inward on myself. I focused on my cadence - left, right, left, right... I don't remember where anything I saw was - everything is a blur. I do remember a bright spot while running through China Town. As we turned that corner and saw the dragon and heard 'Chariots of Fire' I felt a surge of energy and my pain went away. Almost. But I felt better. Brooke even said she felt better too. I wish I could say it kept us going for the rest of the race, but it left us as quickly as it came.

Around Mile 20 ? maybe? I finally took my "throw away" shirt (that I had taken off around mile 8 or 9 and had for some reason tied around my waist) and chucked it to the side. I was sad to see it go, but another amazing thing happened - I felt 10 pounds lighter! Brooke followed suit and we felt a little stronger and kept going.

The final 5 miles were hell on earth (for me anyway). This is when walking through the water and gatorade areas started. I had vowed not to do this after my first marathon. I remembered how it hurt to walk, but this time it was wonderful. The tough part was starting to run again. Thankfully there were stops at each mile for the last three miles. The final 1.2 miles I gave it all I had. Thankfully there was a surge of wind that was actually to my back for the first time all race. I went with it and knew i was going to finish this thing. The last 800 meters seemed a lot longer, I pushed as hard as I could up Roosevelt and made my final turn. That is when I saw it. The sweetest sight in the world. The Finish Line. I started to pick up the pace and then I picked it up some more. I pushed harder than I ever have in my life and about 100 meters to go I thought, "I am not going to make it", but I gave it one more push and there I was. I was across the finish line in 4:33:56 by the clock, 4:22:54 by the chip. I was drained. I was exhausted. I was cold. Moreover, I was glad to be done.

I hobble over to get my well deserved mylar blanket and I felt sudden warmth from it. I hobbled on some more, past the chip removal (I happen to have my own) and got some water. I wanted nothing to do with food. I felt like shit. Then, there it was. The second sweetest sight in the world. Beer. I hobbled faster to the table and the man smiled as he handed my the cup. I thanked him and moved on. I then grabbed a bag of ice, but honestly? I didn't use it. I was freezing, my legs didn't need to be any colder. Brooke and I moved on to the runner reunite area to find her husband Keith and our friend Jill who had come in to cheer us on. We did see her once (mile 12?) and apparently she had made it to a couple of other locations, but I think we had blocked the crowd out by then.

Keith and Jill and Brooke's friend Andy showed up about 5 minutes later and we talk about our marathon experience. I tried to call Steph, but couldn't get through on the first try. We waited around a little longer, growing colder and colder as the wind picked up more and more. I finally got Steph on the phone and found out where she was. We met her right at Congress and Michigan Avenue and she bundled me in a jacket. As we were leaving, Jason and Courtney came from behind. They had finished. We found out later Andy had finished as well and in 4:57 - his first and last marathon he said.

We get back to our hotel, saying goodbye to Keith and Brooke, and I get to the room and immediately soak in a hot bath. Then I took a hot shower and I was finally defrosted. Afterwards, I took some Tylenol and a short nap. I fetl pretty good when I woke up. If everyone else having already left, Steph and I ventured out for dinner. I had a desire for some real Chicago deep dish pizza, so we went to Giordano's. Oh, it tasted so-o-o good. That was it for the evening. It was still cold out and still very windy, so back to the hotel to relax, and to sleep a little more.

So ends the second marathon journey of my life. It was tougher than I expected it to be. I'll never know how I could have so many great training runs and then struggle so much in the race, but it is this that will keep me coming back. I know there is a sub-4:00 marathon out there waiting for me, and I won't stop until I get there. Then, there will be something a new goal to go for. Boston? Don't know that right now. I am inspired by people who qualify and run it, so maybe. Only time will tell.

4:22:54

I did it.

Not by design 'A', but by design 'B'...

I hadn't shared my "designs" for the marathon before, but they were:

• Design 'A' was a 4 hour marathon (secretly I wanted 3:59:59)
• Design 'B' was a 4:30 marathon
• Design 'C' was to PR (previous marathon was 4:48:12)

I'll report on my race experience later, but I will say it was tough. Mentally and physically. I am not blaming the weather, but I think it played a big part. I am not disappointed (well maybe a little) but I knocked 26 minutes off my time and a minute off of my pace!

Congratulations to all of you RBF Chicago Marathoners! I have checked your blogs and it sounds like an amazing time for everyone.

redemption

It happened.

I had a good run again.

It was my "4 mile MP run that I was supposed to run last night but couldn't because I didn't get home until 9pm after being out of town" run. I got dressed into the clothes I was thinking of wearing for the marathon based on the latest forecast of partly cloudy, low 32, high 45 because the temp and sky were very close to that forecast. I was fine.

I was more than fine. My legs felt fresh - in fact they had a spring to them!

I still was running too fast, but I felt great!

I am okay.

I am going to be okay.

No fear about weather.

No doubt in my training.

No excuses.

I am going to run chicago by design on Sunday.

random thoughts

The past 18 weeks have been interesting. I have had times when I was feeling great and times when I was doubting my training. If I look back at all of it - the good runs outweighed the bad but the bad runs probably stick in my mind the most. Through all of this one thing remained constant - the support and encouragement of my wife, running/training friends and fellow RBF members.

My wife has allowed me to take the time to train for this marathon - even working out schedules around my weekend runs. There were times, I will admit, that it sometimes created a problem, but she knew it was important to me and we worked it out. I had to switch my schedule around to make it work when she couldn't and I was fine with that.

My friends whom I trained with and talked to about the marathon - Andy, Jason and Brooke. They gave me the excuse I needed to show up for long runs. I always thought I was the lone runner type, but honestly, I enjoy the company. As determined as I am during my training, running alone did not appeal to me a lot of the time. And I have to thank Brooke especially for giving me the idea to start up a blog. I never really expected that I would have others read it (because honestly - it isn't that interesting).

And my new friends - my fellow RBF members. All of you provided the motivation, inspiration and encouragement when I needed it. It wasn't always from getting a comment from you, though I admit it felt good to know others knew what I was going through and could relate or offer advice, but from reading your blogs I felt a kinship. It also helped to know other people - from all over and with different stories, goals and backgrounds were out there training for the same race. I wish you all the best... in no particular order...

• Yumke - You were the first RBF member to comment on my blog and I have enjoyed reading your blog throughout training and will continue to read it even when this is all over.
• Bob - your words of encouragement have been helpful and I wish to thank you for organizing a list of Chicago-bound runners/bloggers. I feel like part of a great family.
• Running Jayhawk and Out of Shape Guy - I have enjoyed both of your blogs and I'd like to thank you again, Barb, for the great "Ode to Chicago marathon Bloggers"
• Ryan - You are awesome. I respect your persistant training and know you will reach your goal to BQ!
• Lisa - I have enjoyed reading your blog as well. You have a great enthusiasm and I know you will do great in Chicago!
• Arcaner - Thanks for the words of encouragement just when I needed them. I have also enjoyed reading your blog and have found inspiration from it.
• Running Rabbit - Always an interesting blog to read. I have anjoyed your trials and tribulations over the last 18 weeks. I l look forward to reading more.
• Jason and Leah - You two are awesome! I find it amazing how you were able to make your training plan work. I struggled a lot with schedule and always got my runs in, but my mileage was not as intense. I think you guys will do great - I wish you the best. Thanks for the words of encouragement as well.
• Nicole - I wish you all the best. Congrats on the Saucony 26 too!
• And there are others that I have also started reading as well and I thank you all for your stories, because they have helped keep me going...

Here's to a successful Marathon for everyone!

the good, the bad and the ugly

The Good: I ran tonight (albeit on the treadmill) and I wasn't tired and my legs didn't feel heavy...

The Bad: It was far from a reaffirming runnning experience... though it was better.

The Ugly: My left shin was tight for the entire run. I stopped twice to stretch and it helped (a little). This happened on Sunday as well, but went away eventually. I am hoping for better things tomorrow. I did try one of these tonight after my run and it felt great.

Early to bed tonight. Trying to cash in as much sleep time as possible. Four and a half days to go...

he sleeps (finally)

I finally had a good nights sleep.

I don't remember waking up, tossing or turning. I slept-in a little this morning too. I woke up feeling good as new... I am hoping that tonights run is a redemption from Sunday.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

thank you running jayhawk

I just read this and I went from feeling blah to feeling much better. Thank you Running Jayhawk - this was quite a pre-marathon present for us all.

message in a bottle...

"I'll send an SOS to the world I'll send an SOS to the world I hope that someone gets my Message in a bottle..."

I just had the worst run of my life - I'm positive of it.

On my schedule was a mere 8 miles. After 3 miles I was exhausted, my legs felt like lead, but I pushed on, thinking it would get better. I got to my turn around point and headed back. I had to stop twice for just a few seconds to stretch a little and to catch my breath...

WTF?!?!? I felt like I hadn't run in weeks! I didn't even finish my 8 miles. I cut it short by a mile. It was just too much. I even tried to push myself to finish the last mile - telling myself it was an end of marathon simulation and I had to push myself to keep going.

Nope.

That didn't work.

The other side of my brain spoke up and said, "Cut it short, prevent injury, your form is all over the place! Besides, 7 miles isn't too shabby at MP anyway." And I did average my MP for the run, but it was just torture.

I am trying to figure out what has caused this to happen. I think I know what it is and I will be fine by the marathon. I probably did something I wasn't supposed to do... but it was a good thing...

I donated blood.

Now normally when I do this, I have never had any problems running the next day. Today, though, you'd have thought I'd never run in my life! A painful experience all around and it is not settling well on my mind. Not what I needed a week before the big day...

One more MP run on Wednesday and a couple of recovery runs...I sure hope they feel better than this run...

Has anyone else ever suffered in a run like this before?

es muy frio!

It is cold outside (in case you didn't notice).

I mean seriously.

This morning is 33 degrees, but feels like 27... not. ready. for. this. yet.

Last night during my run it felt like 27, but it was apparently in the low 40's... sunny, but very windy, so it felt in the range of the mid 30's. I got a new long sleeve technical shirt on the way home and decided to try it out. I wish I could say I was warm, but it took me 3 miles to "warm up". I wanted to run outside though to prepare myself for the possibility of it being that cold at the beginning of the marathon... it looks like it just might be... a low in the 30's Saturday night. But with the possibility of it getting up into the 50's, it should be great weather - pay no attention to the 30% chance of precipitation. These are odds I can live with. I haven't had to run any of my runs in the rain when the forecast was 30% or less...

On another note, I received an e-mail on an update to the marathon movie, "Land Of The Gods" Read below for the content:

For all of you, who have patiently been waiting for a "Land of the Gods" update, please be the first to visit the film's new site - www.marathonmovie.com - which went online today complete with our most recent trailer. Also, look for the film trailer on the main stage at this year's Chicago Marathon Expo as well as on the giant screens at the finish line. -Producers "Land of the Gods: The Legend of the Marathon"

Can't wait to see this movie!

remaining hopeful

I have been looking at the weather a lot lately. Depending on which website one goes to, it varies. I found one that has an optimistic, if not downright great forecast for the 22nd. I am prepared for anything at this point - having run in every condition, but I would prefer a day like this (as I am sure everyone else would). And I know I may have said Mother Nature redeemed herself this past weekend, but I take it back. She will only be redeemed by giving us great weather for Chicago!

With that said, I still need to acquire a new long sleeve technical shirt for the marathon, just in case. In fact a new short sleeve one would be good too. Most of my shirts are about one size too large for me now, but I have run in them all year. There's nothing like marathon training to help you drop the weight and keep it off! I certainly want a chance to try the new shirt out regardless of whether it is the same shirt I already have or not...

Another wild week at work - hardly the "preferred" tapering environment for me. I haven't run since Sunday. Monday I overslept and woke up at the time I was supposed to be leaving the office to go to an early morning meeting. I have never used so much profanity that early in the morning. I really should have been a sailor. It all turned out okay - I was actually only 30 minutes late - no harm done I suppose. Last night I was at work until 11pm... no rest for the wicked... ugh. I did sleep in until 6:30 this morning, so that wasn't too bad. I slept better than I have in a long time too - exhaustion will do that to you. I am truly hoping to get some quality sleep in the remaining, *gulp*, 10 days?!?! Shit! 10 days?!?! No time to freak out yet.

An easy 3 mile run this evening to keep the ol' legs loose and then a 5 mile MP run for Thursday... then it is my last "long" run for the training - 8 miles at MP. I am feeling good and just anxious to run this thing. I am like a race horse in the starting corral ready to go! But rest is what my legs and my mind need most right now.

My wife and I are making this event a mini-vacation of sorts. We are leaving Friday to go up to northern Indiana to stay at a B&B and then take the train in on Saturday afternoon to check into our hotel and go to the Expo. That night we will meet up with my training partners from Indy to go to Harry Caray's for our carb load dinner. It will be a lot of fun... regardless of the weather.

disaster, or how not to have a cookout

My cookout was a disaster. Okay, maybe that is an overstatement, but it was lame. It boiled down to "what can go wrong will."

It started with me forgetting to take the chicken and hamburger out of the freezer in the morning and not remembering until early afternoon... not a huge deal though. Guests showed up and I found out that one of them was allergic to cats (Andy) - oops I forgot to ask about this first, as we have two cats. Furniture had been vacuumed, etc. but I still felt bad.

Got the food on the grill a little late, but no big deal, we had plenty of drinks and snacks (wine, beer, soda, pita bread and hummus, chips and salsa, and veggies and dip) to keep our hunger in check. I kept checking on the food and it was grilling perfect. On one occasion though, I came back and found I had run out of propane... no problem, I had a spare tank in the garage. So I went and got it, hooked it up and the valve was not working - gas would not come out! So plan C went into affect, shoved the chicken and burgers into the oven to cook. The burgers finished before the chicken, so I had people who wanted burger go ahead and dig in. The rest of us had the side dishes, all of which were great! The chicken got done about ten minute later, but no one had any - just me. It wasn't that good - no grilled taste to it... The highlight was dessert - key lime pie and yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Very very good.

It turned out that Andy started having a reaction the the cats - he had a rash forming on his arms...that pretty much ended the get togther. All by about 9pm... as I said - lame.

Actually, it was good it ended when it did. I was still al ittle tired from the work week and I had to get up this morning to run my 10 miles at marathon pace. Needless to say, I did not sleep well and ended up sleeping in longer than expected and then I moved around the house slowly. I finally got myself out the door by 10am and I was glad I did...

What a beautiful day! Mother Nature has redeemed herself for this summer's hot, humid weather we all endured during our training. The skies were a prefect shade of blue and not a cloud was in the sky. The trees were sporting there new colors - quite breathtaking. I chose to run on the Fall Creek Trail today just for the reason of being among the trees and hearing the crunching of the leaves below my feet.

The plan was 10 miles at MP. I felt a little slow but I apparently my body said it felt like doing a tempo run... oops. I will have to say that it did not feel like an all out effort, so an 9:00/mile pace is going to feel easy for the marathon. Here are the highlights:

• 10 miles in 85:33 for an average pace of 8:33
• First half run in 42:47
• Second half run in 42:46
• A negative split to boot!

I still believe...

P.S. I received my confirmation bookelt in the mail yesterday! #35036

the week from hell...

It has been a rough week for me.

Not because of any pain from my 24 mile run on Sunday. In fact, I have felt great.

No, the week has been an extremely busy one for me at work. Early mornings and late nights. I am thankful that it is time to taper - it couldn't have come at a better time. The down side to this is that I am not getting any rest. I am actually exhausted and should be in bed. I need to relax, but before I do that I need to celebrate...

To Celebrate the taper, I am throwing a cookout for me and my friends. Nothing like Bob's Chili Dump - just a laid back get together with my fellow Indy Chicago Bound Runners. Andy, his fiance, Jason and his girlfriend are coming - unfortunately Brooke and her husband couldn't make it :( The weather promises to be perfect, so here's to week 1 of taper complete! Sunday I will get out for my 10 mile run. I plan on doing it at MP to see how it goes this time. I am almost nervous about the run because of how awesome the 24 miler was - I wouldn't want to have a bad run to break my confidence...

In 2 weeks I will be in Chi-town... can't wait!

i believe

After seeing the forecast for the weekend towards the end of the week, it was decided that we would run on Sunday (it turned out that Saturday was a perfect day too - no rain as had been forecasted). To put a postive spin on the decision, it will help us train our internal clocks for running in three Sundays from now.

My recovery run on Friday was pretty remarkable for me. I went out with the idea of going slow and taking it easy. I even felt slower than usual. The remarkable part was when I finished the run and looked down at my time...my average pace for the run was 8:57/mile. It really boosted my morale and I felt good about my running - something so simple changed my outlook on the marathon. A four hour marathon seemed possible.

Fast forward to Saturday night. I got home and there was a message from Jason on the answering machine... he wouldn't be able to run on Sunday... that left just me and Brooke.

This morning was a very cool, crisp autumn-like morning. We had already made plans to start early, so we got to the Monon Trail at 6am to start our run. It was desolate and dark in the area, for our safety we decided we would start out on the Monon first before heading out on the loop route. It was tough to see the actual path, but we could make out the edges of the pavement. Another thing that helped us see the path were the fire flies. They seemed to be randomly spread out on the path. It was like running through stars... kind of surreal. The first 6 miles was run out and back on the Monon and we ended up back at the truck where I ditched my long sleeve shirt since I had warmed up. Then we decided to forget the loop route, since neither of us cared for the downtown part and decided we could run 6 miles south to the end of the path and then 6 miles back and then finish the run with the same out and back we had run in the dark. We headed south and the sky was lightening up. We felt good on the run down to the turn around point. We stopped briefly to stretch and take a drink. My lower back was sore, but a quick stretch felt good. We head back north still feeling good, and made it to our next water stop where we stretched again and refilled our water bottles. A couple of miles later, we were back at the truck, a quick stretch, a bathroom break and a refill of gatorade into my water bottle and we headed out for our last 6 miles. With each stop it was harder to get going again, but we managed to push on. At the turn around point we stopped for one last stretch and drink and headed back. I could feel the urge to just get finished and our pace was picking up, but it felt good! I glanced at my watch at one point and our pace was almost a 9:00/mile! I didn't say anything at first, but a few minutes later asked Brooke how she felt. She said she felt good , so we kept up the pace. I called out our last mile and that is where we were starting to feel a little tired. When I saw that we ran the 23rd mile at a 9:03/mile pace we thought it would be best to back off the pace and cruise into the finish -- why risk blowing out a knee or something from pushing too hard? The total effort was relatively easy. I believe we can run this thing in four hours now -- I really do.

We finished the 24 miles and felt incredible! Better than the 23 miles we did two weeks ago and better than our last long run for last year's marathon training!

To celebrate our awesome run, we headed to the Monon Coffee Company for a refreshing beverage and some food. I had a 'loco-mocha freeze' and some pumpkin bread - it hit the spot.

I smell something now... no not my running clothes... this smells sweet. Do you smell it? Yep - it's taper. We made it. The three weeks we have all worked so hard to get to.

I am prepared.

I am ready.

I will see you in Chicago in three weeks!!!

Here are the splits if interested...

Average Pace: 9:56/mile

1. 10:07
2. 10:23
3. 10:09
4. 9:43
5. 9:48
6. 10:58 (this included a walk to the truck)
7. 10:09
8. 10:18
9. 9:58
10. 9:59 (got into a rhythm)
11. 9:52 (faster)
12. 9:48 (faster still)
13. 9:47 (still picking up pace)
14. 9:45 (can't slow us down!)
15. 9:39 (on fire)
16. 9:44
17. 10:11 (stopped to stretch and refill water)
18. 9:31 (back on track)
19. 10:26 (stopped at truck / bathroom break)
20. 10:00
21. 9:52
22. 9:34
23. 9:03* (amazing - felt great)
24. 9:25 (eased up at end - felt awesome!)